History

Gateway Packaging was founded in 1982, but our historical roots trace back to the earliest days of commercial packaging. The Percy Kent Bag Company was acquired by Gateway in 2000, bringing with it a heritage that dates to 1885 when Percy Kent began producing jute burlap bags as an innovative replacement for the bulky wooden barrels that carried flour, sugar, and commercial feed to a growing nation.

In the early 1900’s the company pioneered the idea of specialty cotton feed sacks printed in colorful designs aimed at homemakers who would use the empty bags as the raw material for quilts, curtains, and even clothing. It was one of the first examples of packaging that was a true value-add to the product inside—providing a competitive advantage to milling companies that marketed their products in these reusable bags.

This kind of customer-focused innovation is alive and well at Gateway. Today, our two manufacturing facilities, in Granite City, Illinois and Kansas City, Missouri continue to find new ways to give our customers competitive advantage with innovative technologies and creative collaboration focused on solutions, service, and complete satisfaction.